Chicago firefighter, swim coach arrested on sex charges

Wednesday

A Chicago firefighter and public high school girls swim coach was arrested in Elmhurst last week on sex charges.

A Chicago firefighter and public high school girls swim coach was arrested in Elmhurst last week on sex charges.

Dennis Goggin, 42, of Chicago, was arrested by Elmhurst police Thursday, according to Elmhurst Police Cmdr. Dan Buenz. Buenz said officers arrested Goggin at about 12:25 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of an apartment building.

“This is not a finished investigation by any means,” Buenz said.

Goggin has been charged with one count of indecent solicitation of a child, a Class 3 felony with a sentence of two to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, said Paul Darrah, a spokesman for the DuPage County state's attorney's office. Goggin also was charged with one count of Class 3 aggravated criminal abuse, Darrah said.

Darrah said that as of Monday afternoon Goggin was still in custody in DuPage County Jail and he had not posted 10 percent of his $150,000 bond. He said Goggin’s next court date has been scheduled for April 14.

Goggin was fired Friday as the coach of the Lincoln Park High School girls swim team Friday, Chicago Public Schools spokesman Mike Vaughn said. Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said Monday that Goggin has not been a firefighter for long and he belongs to a South Side truck company.

Langford also said that Fire Commissioner Raymond Orozco has ordered an immediate investigation into the charges against Goggin.

“The member will be placed on administrative leave as the disciplinary process begins,” Langford said. “While Commissioner Orozco is saddened at these charges, he reminds that such alleged conduct in no way represents the fine men and women of the Chicago Fire Department.”

If Goggin is found guilty, the department will move quickly to impose discipline against him, Langford said.

Colleen McBrien can be reached at cmcbrien@mysuburbanlife.com.

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